Bollard

ABSTRACT

A bollard in which the bollard post to which a rope is to be attached is mounted in a preferably tubular upright guide member so as to be movable in vertical direction relative to the guide member between an extended position projecting beyond the guide member and a collapsed position completely withdrawn into the latter, whereby, when the guide member is mounted in a recess of a pier or ship, the bollard post may be withdrawn into the guide member when not in use so as to be out of way.

United States Patent [1 1 Ecke [ Nov. 13, 1973 BAOLLARD [75] Inventor: Gunter Ecke,Bremerhaven,

e ny [73] Assignee: Aktiengesellschaft Weser,

Bremen, Germany 22 Filed: Mar. 10,1972

21 App1.No.:233,424

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 26, 1971 Germany G 71 11 558.7

[52] US. Cl. 114/218 [51] Int. Cl B631) 21/06 [58] Field of Search 114/218', 24/115 .1

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,299,529 4/1919 Young 114/218 2,150,556 3/1939 Leon. 114/218 X Johnson 114/218 X Lippincott 114/218 Primary ExaminerTrygve M. Blix Assistant Examiner-Gregory W. O'Connor AttorneyMichael S. Striker [57] ABSTRACT A bollard in which the bollard post to which a rope is to be attached is mounted in a preferably tubular upright guide member so as to be movable in vertical direction relative to the guide member between an extended position projecting beyond the guide member and a collapsed position completely withdrawn into the latter, whereby, when the guide member is mounted in a recess of a pier or ship, the bollard post may be withdrawn into the guide member when not in use so as to be out of way.

7 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure BOLLARD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a bollard for fastening of ropes, cables, or similar fasting members as are used on board of ships and especially at piers of harbors.

Such bollards are well known in the art and usually consist of a base plate for fastening the bollard on appropriately prepared foundations and one or a plurality, preferably two, bollard posts integrally cast from steel with the base plate and projecting therefrom in upright direction. Traffic on the deck of a ship and especially traffic on a pier is therefore obstructed by such bollards. Quite often, these bollards are rarely used, but nevertheless, they are essential, so that the obstruction in traffic caused by such bollards has to be accepted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a bollard which, when not in use, will not obstruct traffic.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bollard which is nevertheless simple in construction and can be manufactured at reasonable cost.

With these objects in view, the bollard according to the present invention mainly comprises an upright member, and guide means for guiding the upright member movable in vertical direction. In this way it is possible, when the guide member is mounted in recess of a pier or a ship, to withdraw the upright member or the actual bollard post into the guide member, when the bollard is not is use, so that when withdrawn it will not obstruct traffic on the deck of a ship or on the pier. Bollards according to the present invention are especially suitable as auxiliary bollards for fastening of additional ropes or the like, for instance during a storm, or if additional mooring places have to be provided for ships. Bollards according to the present invention are also especially suitable for instance on the deck of roll-on rolloff ships, ferries or the like, especially for securing large transport ships.

Any known device may be used for raising and withdrawing the bollard pole into the guide member. In a preferred construction according to the present invention two tubular members are used which are telescopically arranged and in which one of the tubular members constitutes the actual bollard post, whereas the other tubular member constitutes the guide member for guiding the post in vertical direction. Preferably a spindle is coaxially and hingedly secured in the tubular member which constitutes the guide, whereas a nut threadingly engaging the screw thread of the spindle is fixed in the tubular member which constitutes the post so that, by turning the tubular post member about its axis, a vertical movement of the post member relative to the stationary guide member may be produced. Preferably, the tubular post which is closed at its upper end is provided with means to facilitate turning the same about its axis and such means may for instance be constituted by a slot or groove formed in the upper closed end of this tubular member. In order to assure that the bollard post, when withdrawn into the tubular guide member, may be transversed without danger by a vehicle or the like, it is preferred to provide the bollard post, at the upper closed end with a radially extending reinforcing rim and to provide at the upper end of the tubular guide member a corresponding radial enlarge- BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The single FIGURE of the drawing is an axial cross section through a bollard according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing, it will be seen that the bollard according to the present invention mainly comprises a first tubular member 1 constituting the actual bollard post and a second tubular member 2 in which the tubular member 1 is telescopically arranged for movement between an extended position, as shown in the drawing and a collapsed position in which the member 1 is completely withdrawn into the member 2. The tubular member 2 may for instance be mounted below the upper surface of a deck of a ship so that the upper rim of the tubular member 2 is flush with the upper surface D of the deck, or the tubular member 2 may be mounted in a corresponding recess in the pier of a harbor. To facilitate the mounting of the tubular member 2, the latter is closed at the bottom thereof by a bottom plate 2 which extends in radial direction outwardly from the outer surface of this tubular member. The first or inner tubular member 1 is closed at the top thereof by a top plate 4 integrally formed with or connected in any suitable manner to the remainder of the tubular member 1 and having a reinforcing rim projecting radially outwardly beyond the outer diameter of the remainder of the tubular member 1, while the second or outer tubular member 2, constituting the guide member, is formed at the upper end thereof with a radially outwardly bulging enlargement 3 into which the rim of the top plate 4 will snugly fit when the inner tubular member 1 is withdrawn into the outer tubular member 2. The length of the two tubular members 1 and 2 is chosen in such a manner that a portion of the inner tubular member 1, when this member is moved to its extended position as shown in the drawing, will still be properly guided in the tubular guide member 2 so that the member 1 cannot be tilted under application of transverse forces thereto. In order to move the member 1 between the extended and the collapsed position, a screw spindle 5 is pivotably connected at 7 to a pair of brackets 8, only the front one is shown in the drawing, which are fixed to the bottom plate 2' of the tubular member 2. A plurality of plates 9, l0 and 1 I extend axially spaced from each other transversely through a lower portion of the first tubular member 1 fixed thereto, for instance by welding, and each of the plates is formed with a central opening through which the spindle 5 extends. A wing nut 6 which threadingly engages the outer screw thread on the spindle 5 is located, for instance, between the plates 9 and 10 and a pair of projections 12 projecting upwardly from the plate 10 engage the wings of the wing nut.6 to prevent the latter from turning relative to the tubular member 1. The nut may be snugly held between the plates 9 and so that the member 1 must follow any axial movement of the nut 6 relative to the spindle 5. To limit upward movement of the member 1 relative to the tubular guide member 2, a washer 13 is held in the region of the upper end of the spindle by means of a dowel pin 14 or the like. i

It is evident that by turning the member 1 in one or the other direction about its axis, this member may be moved in axial direction between the extended position as shown in the drawing or a collapsed position completely withdrawing into the member 2 in which the reinforcing rim of the member 4 will fit snugly into the corresponding radial enlargement 3 of the tubular guide member. To facilitate turning of the member 1 about its axis, the top plate 4 of this member is preferably provided with a transverse groove orslot 7 into which the end of a turning member or wrench may be inserted.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of bollards differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a bollard'comprising a bollard post and a tubular guide member into which the bollard post may be withdrawn when not in use, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefor, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. A bollard comprising an upright first tubular member; a second tubular member receiving said first tubular member and guiding the latter movable between an extended position projecting in part beyond said second tubular member and a collapsed position completely withdrawn in the said second tubular member;

a spindle provided with an outer screw thread substantially coaxially connected to one of said tubular members; and a nut threadingly engaging said spindle and connected to the other of said tubular members for moving said first tubular member relative to said second tubular member by turning said first tubular member about its axis.

2. A bollard as defined in claim 1, and including means provided on said first tubular member for facilitating turning of the same about its axis.

3. A bollard as defined in claim 2, wherein said first tubular member'is closed by a top plate at the upper end thereof, and wherein said means for facilitating turning of said first tubular member comprises a transverse groove in said top plate.

4. A bollard as defined in claim 1, wherein said second tubular member is closed at the lower end by a bottom plate, and wherein said spindle is pivotably mounted on said bottom plate and said nut is fixed to said first tubular member.

5. A bollard comprising an upright first tubular member closed at the upper end thereof and provided at the upper end with an outwardly projecting reinforcing rim; and a second tubular member receiving said first tubular member and guiding the latter movable between an extended position projecting in part beyond said second tubular member and a collapsed position completely withdrawn into said second tubular member, said second tubular member having at the upper end a portion of enlarged diameter for receiving said reinforcing rim in the collapsed position of said first tubular member.

6. A bollard as defined in claim 5, wherein said second tubular member is closed at the bottom end by a bottom plate radially extending beyond the outer diameter of .the second tubular member.

7. A bollard as defined in claim 6, and including a screw spindle pivotably mounted on said bottom plate substantially coaxial with said second tubular member, a plurality of plates extending axially spaced from each other transversely through said first tubular member and being fixed thereto, each of said plates being formed with an opening through which said spindle extends, a wing nut fitted between two of said plates, and one of said two plates having a pair of projections re spectively engaging the wings of said wing nut to preventturning of the latter relative to said first tubular member. 

1. A bollard comprising an upright first tubular member; a second tubular member receiving said first tubular member and guiding the latter movable between an extended position projecting in part beyond said second tubular member and a collapsed position completely withdrawn in the said second tubular member; a spindle provided with an outer screw thread substantially coaxially connected to one of said tubular members; and a nut threadingly engaging said spindle and connected to the other of said tubular members for moving said first tubular member relative to said second tubular member by turning said first tubular member about its axis.
 2. A bollard as defined in claim 1, and including means provided on said first tubular member for facilitating turning of the same about its axis.
 3. A bollard as defined in claim 2, wherein said first tubular member is closed by a top plate at the upper end thereof, and wherein said means for facilitating turning of said first tubular member comprises a transverse groove in said top plate.
 4. A bollard as defined in claim 1, wherein said second tubular member is closed at the lower end by a bottom plate, and wherein said spindle is pivotably mounted on said bottom plate and said nut is fixed to said first tubular member.
 5. A bollard comprising an upright first tubular member closed at the upper end thereof and provided at the upper end with an outwardly projecting reinforcing rim; and a second tubular member receiving said first tubular member and guiding the latter movable between an extended position projecting in part beyond said second tubular member and a collapsed position completely withdrawn into said second tubular member, said second tubular member having at the upper end a portion of enlarged diameter for receiving said reinforcing rim in the collapsed position of said first tubular member.
 6. A bollard as defined in claim 5, wherein said second tubular member is closed at the bottom end by a bottom plate radially extending beyond the outer diameter of the second tubular member.
 7. A bollard as defIned in claim 6, and including a screw spindle pivotably mounted on said bottom plate substantially coaxial with said second tubular member, a plurality of plates extending axially spaced from each other transversely through said first tubular member and being fixed thereto, each of said plates being formed with an opening through which said spindle extends, a wing nut fitted between two of said plates, and one of said two plates having a pair of projections respectively engaging the wings of said wing nut to prevent turning of the latter relative to said first tubular member. 